Poetry Contest Judging

http://www.poetrynation.com/

Tomorrow the committee of poetry judges meets to decide the winners of this year's contest. I am never conflicted about whether this is a good event, because it gives me so many opportunities to see of what our students are capable when presented with a challenge. I can feel the honesty in many of the works put forth, and I admire in particular the students who have mastered the haiku form, which encapsulates so much meaning in such a small number of words.

It is admirable that our students are willing to share their work with an audience; that's no mean thing, in my opinion. I am no poet myself, preferring prose in my spare time, and I definitely can't flatter myself in saying that I am capable of good prose, come to that. I feel that my lack of skill in that area gives me a greater respect for the potential of poetry in both long form and haiku (the major categories of this particular contest).

In the past, we have had a spoken word section of the contest, but because we only have two or three students who really have found their passion in that particular type of poetry, we decided to focus instead on written forms, and encourage our intrepid spoken word poets on during Town Meeting and similar events.

I look forward to meeting with the judges and discussing our favorites.

April, Poetry Month

Li Po (Li Bai)

The annual poetry contest is almost upon us!

 Anyone can write poetry. Give it a try! Every year we see many students turn their emotions and energies into this creative outlet, following in the footsteps of the illustrious and the inspired, standing in the long shadow of Basho, Poe, Angelou, Hughes, Yeats, Neruda, Homer, Byron, Li Po and Plath.

The library partners with the English Department for the poetry contest, and we offer prizes to the winners in long poetry and in a special haiku division.

Take advantage of this wonderful opportunity during the month of April.

State of the Library: March/April 2013

Commemorative Month Displays

SHS Library celebrates Edith Wharton

The last few weeks the library displayed curated collections of books and educational flyers to celebrate the following commemorative months, all celebrated in March and April: Poetry Month, Women’s History Month, Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, and Jazz Appreciation Month.

Poetry Contest

The Library is renewing a partnership with the English Department to host the annual Poetry Contest. Entries are submitted in many forms, including sonnets and haiku, and a panel that includes staff and faculty will select winners in May.

History Day Projects

The Ninth Graders finished up their History Day projects in the last few weeks as well, scrambling to get the last few research pieces included in their presentations. Many student requests were filled, further honing the library collection to support Sage Hill’s unique curriculum.

Wellness: Internet Responsibility Seminar

The Director of Library and Technology repeated the Internet Responsibility Seminar from last year this year for Ninth Graders in their Wellness classes. The presentation and discussion scenarios were adapted to keep up with the times, including newly introduced social media tools and mobile device practices. Next year, topics in the seminar may be hosted on our new Learning Management System, Canvas.

Collection Management

Various tasks have been undertaken to maintain the library’s collection of digital and physical resources. Many of our physical magazines and newspapers, such as The New York Times and Vanity Fair have been placed on the library ipad available for check out for our community. Specialized stickers meant to catch attention have been placed on our biographies and best sellers otherwise hidden in the collection. Overdue emails have been sent periodically and paper bills are being prepared in anticipation of the Annual Inventory in May.